Distributer-cap for ignition apparatus.



W. O. KENNINGTON.

DISTRIBUTER CAP FOR 'GNITION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19. 1916.

1' ,268 ,47 3 Pateflted June 4, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lfizz/5222272 WW WW W W? W. 0. KENNINGTON.

DISTRIBUTER CAPFOR IGNITION APPARATUS.

P Ll AT 1916. 1 ,268,473. Patented June 4, 1918. v 2 EEEEEEEEEEEE 2A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- WILLIAM 0. KENNINGTON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO BEMY ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

DISTBIBUTEECAP FOR IGNITION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1918.

Application filed April 19,1916. Serial No. 92,830.

act descrlption. I

This invention relates to a distributer cap a for a distributer or combined'distributer and circuit breaker, and is adapted particularly for an engine of many cylinders of the socalled V-type, are arranged on one side and half on the other side of a vertical or central plane through the en 'ne.

' 'One of the o jects of the invention is to provide a constructlon such that there is a convenient disposition of the secondary cnductors, which permits the conductors to be readily and properly connected to the right and left hand groups-of cylinders. 18. fur ther objectis ,to provide a simple, durable and practically water-proof construction. Still further, the invention aims to minimize the liability of a short circuit occurring in the cap by water or other foreign matter, or of contact or engagement between live parts of adjacent conductors; and also to'prevent current jumping from the rotating segment to the wrong terminal or conductor; and additionally to prevent the rotating se ent striking or coming in engagement wit any of the conductors within the cap.

The invention may be brifi summarized as onsisting in certain novel details'of construction and combinations and arran ements of parts which will be described in t e specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the distributer cap, showing portions of the two groups of, secondary conductors extending outwardly,- Fi .2 is avertical sectional view substantially a ong theline 9f'-2o-flFi" .ljthe therefrom conductorsbeing omitted, this view s owing by dotted lines a portion of the circuit breaker casing with which; the distributer cap may be associate 1s a side view looking "toward the leit oa bottom view of the distributer cap with some of the conductors omitted; Fig. 5 is a similar view with wherein half of the cylinders I side of the engine.

' able opening 19 cap m dway between and at right angles to 'the two groups of openings 14,

"Fig. 1; Fig. 4 isthe distributer terminals connected to the secondary conductors and omitting the cable protector plate which is on the lnterior of the cap; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view.

es an inverted cup-shaped The cap includ member which is preferably formed of suitable insulating material such as bakelite. This cap is preferably utilized in connection with,

a circuit breaker casing 11 which is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, as it is usually desirable that the dlstrlbuter' and circuit breaker be in one unitary structure. The term inverted is used for the reason that the axis of the distributer and ircuitbreaker is generally vertical. I

he distributer cap is provided at the top with a substantially circular boss or dome 12, having rectangular protuberances 13 on opposite sides. In the opposite parallel faces of the rectangular portions or protuberances 13 are two rows of openings 14 and 14" which extend through the shell or wall forming the boss, one row'or group of openings 1:; being adapted to receive the secondary conductors 15. extending to cylinders on one side of a V-type engine and-the other row or group of openin s 14 being adapted to rece ve or accommo ate the secondary conductors 15 extending to the cylinders on the opposite If desired, the two groups ofconductors extending outwardly from opposite sides of the cap may be 1nclosed in suitable insulating tubes from which the conductors may extend to the spark lugs of the different cylinders.

At the center of the cap and embedded in a suitable internal downwardly extending boss 16 is avertical terminal 17 to which is ada ted to be electrically connected by a centra screw 18 the end of a conductor 19 which extends from the secondary coil (not shown) of an ignition apparatus. This conductor 19 extends inwardly through a suit in the upper wall of the 14". The 17 which conductor central terminal 17 has anopenin 15 adapted to receive theend o 19, this opening 1''! being in' line with the the conductors are exposed. These twefea tures combine to prevent any short-circuit in or crossing of the various conductors through water.

Arranged around an annular horizontally disposed portion 20 of the cap just beneath the boss at the top of the cap, and located on the interior of the latter are a series of equally spaced distributer terminals in the form of metal inserts 21, the number of which corresponds to the number of secondary conductors 15 and 15, or the number of cylinders of the engine for which the apparatus is designed.- The inserts are provided with terminal screws 22 by which terminals 15' on the inner ends of the secondary conductors 15 and 15" are designed to be electrically connected to the inserts. The inserts are provided also with depending pins 23 to which current is successively distributed by the rotating distributer segment in the usual and well known-manner. Between the inserts are depending radial barriers 24 which serve to separate the terminals and to reduce'the liability of a spark jumping from the distributer segment to the wrong insert or terminal.

On the interior of the cap there is a cable retainer in the form of aninsulating disk 25.

This disk virtually divides the interior of the cap into two chambers, an upper cable or conductor distributin chamber and a lower chamber into whic the distributing. pins 23 project. The chambers, the upper and lower, have an interconnecting open passage therebetween which is defined by the edges of disk 25 and the inner edge of the annular boss 20. One of the objects of disk 25 is to eliminate the possibility of the cables flaring or bulging out soas to be enga ed by the rotating distributer segment. his disk has a central openin which receives the central terminal of the 'stributer, and is preferably held in position b a nut 26' screwed onto the lower part 0 the central terminal. The disk 25 is provided .at its periphery with grooves or-notches which enable the disk to clear the radial barriers 24. i

With this construction not only are the secondary leads or conductors for the right and left hand groups of the cylinders brought out i from the right and left hand sides of the distributer cap in a very convenient way to connect the conductors to the cylinder, but the conductors may be and preferably are arranged or connected up on the interior of Q the cables within the cap.

the distributer so that they extend from each side of the distributer cap in precisely the same order that they are arranged or connected to the two groups of cyhnders. By reason of the space inside the dome, 12 and above the disk 25 which space has heretofore been termed a cable. distributing chamber it is possible to group and select his is necessary with inulti-cylinder engines, since the firing order of the cylinders does not usually conform with the fore and aft arrangement of the cylinders. The secondary cables may be led from the device in an orderly manner and all crossin of the cables may be effected within t e cable-distributing chamber, see Fig. 5. The cables thus grouped and recrossed are within the device, whereby the'exterior of the apparatus presents a pleasing and orderly appearance and in addition chafing of the cables is minimized since they are rigidlymaintained in place.

It should be noted, further, that there is substantially no danger of the distributer segment striking or engaging any of the conductors, or of any of the conductors being short-circuited either by live parts of conductors coming in contact with each other, or of being bridged by water or other foreign matter.

Additionally, the construction is neat and attractive in appearance, not expensive to produce, and is durable in service.

While I have shown only the preferred construction, I do not desire to be confined to the exact details shown, but aim in my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and see e of my invention.

aving thus described my invention,'what I claim is 1. A distributer cap provided on the interior with an annular series of spaced terminals, and provided with two rows or groups of openings for secondary conductors, the two groups of openings facing different (11- rections;

2. A distributer cap of insulating material having on the interior thereof a series of spaced terminals and provided adjacent said terminals with an inner chambered portion from which extend outwardly two groups of openings for two groups of secondary conductors designed to be connected to the terminals.

3. A distributer cap havingv on the interior thereof a series of spaced terminals and provided ith a chambered portion from which extend outwardly a plurality of openings for two groups of secondary conductors, and a conductor retainer in the form of a disk adapted to cover the major portion of the conductors on the interior of the cap.

4. A distributer cap having on the interior thereof a series of'spaced terminals and provided with a plurality of openings for sec- I ondary conductors, and a conductor retainer .in the form of a disk adapted to cover the major portion of the conductors on the interior of the cap, said distributer having a central terminal extending through the retainer, and means enga ing said terminal to secure the retainer in place.

5. A distributer cap of insulating material having on the interior thereof a series of spaced terminals and provided with an inner chambered portion from which extend outwardly a plurality of openings for secondary conductors, and barriers between the terminals in the inner chambered portion.

6. A distributer cap comprising a cupshaped member havin a central boss at the end forming a cham ered portion within the cap, said cap having an annular series of terminals and a plurality of openings extending through the wall of said boss and communicating with said chambered portion.

7. A distributer cap comprising a cupshaped member having a central boss at the end forming a chambered portion within the cap. said cap being provided with an annular series of spaced terminals and a plurality of openings extending through the wall of said boss and communicating with said chambered portion, said openings being arranged in two groups facing in different directions. 8. A distributer cap provided at one end with a hollow boss or protuberance forming a chamber and having two walls with two substantially parallel oppositely disposed outer faces, two groups of openings extending through said walls. said groups being on opposite sides of the center of the cap and facing the opposite directions, and a series of terminals arranged on the interior of said cap and adapted to be connected to two groups of conductors extending through the said two groups of openings.

9. A distributer cap comprising a cupshaped member formed of insulating material and provided at one end thereof with a hollow boss or protuberance forming a chamber and having two oppositely disposed walls with two substantially parallel oppositely disposed outer faces, two groups of openings extending through said walls, said groups being on opposite sides of the center of the cap and facing in opposite directions, and a series of terminals arranged on the interior of said cap and adapted to be connected to the ends of two groups of conductors extending through the said two groups of openings.

10. A distributer cap comprising a cupshaped member of insulating material having on the interior a plurality of spaced terminals to which conductors are adapted to be connected and two groups of openings through which the conductors may be extended into the interior of the cap, said groups being disposed on opposite sides of the center of the cap, and said cap having a central terminal and an opening for a conductor adapted to be connected to said terminal, said opening being located between said two groups of openings.

11. A distributer cap comprising a'cupshaped member of insulating material having on the interior thereof a series of spaced terminals to which conductors may be connected, said cap having a boss or protuberance provided with a plurality of openings for the conductors and by the inner walls thereof defining a conductor distributing chamber in which the conductors may be arranged to properly lead to their respective terminals.

12. A distributer cap comprising a cupshaped member of insulating material having on the interior thereof a series of terminals to which conductors may be connected, said cap having a boss or protuberance provided with a plurality of openings for the conductors. said openings being arranged in groups, said boss or protuberance defining the walls of a conductor distributing chamber in which the conductors may be arranged to properly lead to their respective terminals.

13. A distributer cap for ignitiolrapparatus, comprising a body portion of insulating material, having two groups of openings facing in different directions, at one end to receive a plurality of conductors, an insulating partition dividing the cap substantially into two compartments. a lurality of concentrically disposed distributing elements to which the conductors are to be connected in one compartment and which have terminal projections extending through into the other compartment.

14. A distributer cap for ignition apparatus, comprising a body portion of insulating material, having in one end two rows of openings facing in different directions to receive a plurality of conductors. an insulating partition detachably attached to. the end of the cap and dividing the same substantially into two compartments. one constituting a containing chamber for the conductors, which are confined by said partition, and a plurality of concentrically disposed distributing elements to which the conductors are to be connected in the distributing chamber and which have terminal projections extending into the other compartment.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

lVILLIAM O. KENNINGTON.

\Vitnesses:

ALBERT E. BERDON, FRANKLIN P. MCDERMOTT, Jr. 

